One Month, Two Trips to Madrid.

...it's a good ratio, I'd say.

After four days of non stop travel through spain topped off by a sleepless night bus ride, my first trip to madrid got off to an inauspicious start. Upon arriving to a deserted city center at 7 am and immediately taking refuge in a coffee shop with my friends, I started counting the hours until my flight left for my comfy bed in ireland. But once the city began to come alive and we renewed our energy, I totally fell in love with madrids grand statues and architecture, gaping mountain views, spacious relaxing gardens, and sunny demeanor.

Our first stop was the royal palace, the magnificent symbolic home of el rey Juan Carlos.

but the exterior is totally outdone by the interiors astromical display of wealth and excess. each of its 20 plus rooms, some of which served solely as waiting rooms or tea rooms for el rey, contains at least 2 chandeliers holding thousands of jewels exclusively gold plated furniture, and even mundane household objects ornately decorated beyond my wildest conception. in between complaining about how many resources were devoted to building one man's house, we were absolutely mesmerized by all the shiny things.

After watching some soldiers practice the changing of the guard and snapping about 5000 pictures, we stopped in the spacious Sabatini gardens. Among statues of generals, reflectiang pools, and copious fountains, we absorbed some very welcome sun and 60 degree heat. In december. Why don't I live there again?

a failed trip to the real Madrid stadium later, we went to the retiro gardens for more unwinding. Filled with monuments surrounded by sweeping green lawns and clear lakes, it draws an incredible amount of families, joggers, and lovers but still maintains such a serene ambience. I left my friends briefly to explore some of the sculptures and courtyards, but I probably couldn't have scaled the entire park in a full day. Regardless, walking in the comfortably warm sun among such peaceful surroundings amped up my excitement for my next trip to madrid.

Thankfully, exactly three weeks after leaving, I returned to madrid for a Christmas trip with my brothers and family friends. This marked my first christmas away from home, but reuniting with my brothers and staying in a cozy house with relatives of our friends made the holiday feel more intimate. On Christmas eve we enjoyed a family dinner of salmon before spending Christmas day in madrid. Our first day was marked by refreshingly unhurried sightseeing. We crossed the buzzing plaza mayor before reaching a statue dedicated to don quixote, an ancient egyptian temple , and the royal palace again. Next came our first of several encounters with jamon iberico, madrids famous ham. Museos del jamon pop up all over the city, with butchers shaving the meat off of full pig legs for their customers. In between jamon stops, we ventured through winding streets and quiet neighborhoods until dark.

we changed the pace the next day in the medieval hillside town of toledo, but returned to madrid on day 3.  Our primary destinations were its two main art museums, the Prado and Reina Sofia. The Prado, spains national art museum, is based on the royal family's former collection. As such, it contains thousands of classics spanning from painting to sculpture, the Renaissance to romantic, as well as from Spanish artists like Goya to other Europeans like Bosch and Rafeal. Even for someone like me, whose only familiarity with those names comes from mandatory AP Art history, the Prado was really fascinating. Contrasting the Prados historic ties, the reina sofia hosts a modern collection. We stopped in to see Picasso 's WW2 inspired Guernica before going back outside to enjoy more of madrids gorgeous christmas lights.

Unfortunately, I'll have to wait much longer than 3 weeks to visit madrid again. It's a truly beautiful, cultired, dignified, passionate city. But I'm so thankful for the chance to experience it's magic twice and hope to come back again someday!

keep Calm, You're in Cork Now Like

Had I stuck to my original plan, my study abroad adventure would have officially ended yesterday afternoon as I touched down in chicago bleary eyed and jet lagged. If my tears upon moving out of my apartment are any indication, I would have also been an absolute emotional mess had I left ireland for good yesterday. Thankfully, my plans to travel through spain during Christmas have delayed my return flight home, but I've already left my friends, my apartment, and my adopted city for the last time. Staying at my aunts house, it feels as if I'm on another weekend trip that will ultimately end in cork.

It was only yesterday morning that I was running four miles through my favorite sights in the city. That the medieval cathedral across the street from my apartment, the forested riverside path near my campus, and the
Intimate cobblestone alleys of the city centre are no longer part of my daily routine still feels surreal. I'm amazed that after only four months, the city of cork has ingrained itself so deeply into my life. Throughout the quarter I never really wrote about cork itself, so my final days here seem like the perfect opportunity to talk about my third home.

My friendly neighborhood cathedral from the 1200s 

Made for a scenic walk home from the gym, 

As the largest irish city not named dublin, cork is lovingly referred to by its citizens as Ireland's real capital. Cork is every bit a cosmopolitan modern city. Cork's downtown area only consists of a few main streets along with the alleys connecting them, but within the tight quarters is a disproportionate amount of passion and vibrancy. Especially during the holiday season, there's always something going on- whether it be a performance from inside a pub, a 5k, the yearly jazz or folk festivals. Right now, it's the Glow festival, this awesome Christmas party including a giant lit Ferris wheel and a installation of inflatable Santa's and elves who pop out to mess with the kids. Even in the absence of any big productions, I sent countless hours wandering through St Patrick's Street, where I'd window shop at luxury department stores and gorgeous boutiques and watch the flurry of people around me. Usually, a singer practicing his brogue, a guitarist, or even a wax figure actor would provide some added entertainment.

Cork does christmas bigger. 

But despite its urban environment, cork has an undeniably irish atmosphere. First of all, only a 10 minute drive separates the town from the patchwork green hills everyone treasures so much. If you get high enough, you can even see the fields from the town proper. The quaint homes lining the streets are as bright as the sky is dark, in blue and pink and yellow. But beyond the physical, corks friendly, welcoming atmosphere has totally surpassed on my expectations of ireland. People not only respect but take an interest in complete strangers; in the beginning I would ask someone for directions and end up embroiled in a 10 minute long conversation. The irish students I met were always really accommodating and eager to get to know me, the outsider to their country. That personal respect also manifests itself in its safety. Walking home from an aircoach at 2 AM, I didnt feel threatened in the slightest as everyone on the street minded their own business, which would not have been the case in evanston.

in cork, I feel as if I can let my guard down and relate to people so effortlessly. That, along with the city's more balanced attitude toward life, has been so unbelievably refreshing. Embodying the "work to live, dont live to work" philosophy, people work hard but view their jobs as just that, jobs. Walking through downtown during rush hour, nobody seems rushed or visibly stressed. Health and fitness are huge in cork as well, with a hugely popular gym and weekly 5ks in town. Oh, and the pub scene is more than healthy ☺

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to experience ireland. In a small city, I was able to avail of modern conveniences and a incredible social life while still in a really safe environment. Cork, with its warm nd relaxed atmosphere, has made me question myself and my attitude toward life so much. I've certainly found myself trying to approach my daily life with a more positive and carefree attitude. I could devote an enture blog to this place, but for everyones sanity ill restrain myself. I haven't even left yet, but I'm already planning my return. Catch ya later, cork. Can't wait to see you all home soon!

Random local quirks:
-in an interesting twist of our valley girl stereotype, Everyone ends their sentences with "like". "I was at the store, like", etc.
-students go out on Tuesdays and Thursday nights, only to go home on the weekend. Tuesday night at Northwestern will never be the same.
-there's a newspaper called the evening ecjo. To advertise said paper, a guy goes to the city center afternoon and literally echoes. Every 30 seconds. It was funny for the first 30mseconds, at least.

Germany: Christmas markets, mountain climbing, and hitchhiking

What better way to spend finals week than getting into the chrismas spirit in germany? On a relative whim, i decided to join a friend there for a weekend and went on an odyssey from cologne to frankfurt. My flight came in late on thursday, so our real introduction to cologne came on friday morning. Because we wouldnt have much time in the city, we went to some of colognes most prominent sights before the markets opened. Of these, the main attraction was a 515 foot tall 13th century cathedral called the kolner dom. one of very few structures to survive in world War 2, this Gothic cathedral dominates the town. After exploring its church and a crypt, we crossed the rhine river over a bridge flanked by love locks. Traditionally, couples engrave a lock with their names, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key in the river in a sign of unending love or whatever. Of course, my friends and i joked about how many of those couples are now divorced while taking in the gorgeous river views.

Once we recrossed the river, we finally hit 6 of colognes 7 christmas markets. While i've geeked out over the christmas lights of seemingly every city i've visited thus far, Germanys christmas markets truly exemplify everything we treasure about the christmas season. Wooden stands adorned with wreaths and stringed lights sell anything from glass ornaments to souvenirs, sweaters, and teddy bears. However, i was more enchanted by the atmosphere than the products themselves. The smells alternate from baking gingerbread to sugary licorice and fresh bratwurst. Atop the stalls were incredibly cute neon arrangements of reindeer, Santa clauses, and presents. Even the trees were decorated with gifts and elaborate lights. But probably the most heartwarming of all was how the markets unite the entire town. Ferris wheels, carousels, and even ice skating rinks occupy kids while extensive bars and beer gardens entertain the adults. The sense of camraderie predominating as everyone celebrated the festive season together was really magical.

Although christmas markets are generally similar, the content and styles of each is characterized by a unique theme. For instance, one situated on an island offered seafood and nautical souvenirs while the busiest market situated underneath the kolmer dom had a stage as well as crazy cathedral views. The variety kept us transfixed until we left for koblenz, a smaller city also overlooking the rhine. We spent most of that night navigating more christmas markets in that city and stopped into one of their beer gardens.

If friday night was chill, Saturday was an adventure to say the very least. First, we scaled a hill to reach an 1800s fortress that overlooks the town and river. Located in a vast green park, it granted us great aerial views. However, our real reason for visiting the fortress was to take an cable car across the river. For only 4 euro, we got to descend from the fortress, over dark forests and the river, to the other side of town.

From there, we caught a train to sankt goar, which was located only 3 km from our airbnb in nearby patersburg. however, we learned that standing in the 3 km between the train station and our accomodation was what I can only describe as either a huge hill or a small mountain. Reagrdless, we hiked up a bumpy, unlit path along the edge of this huge monstrosity. Despite nearly killing myself every 3 seconds, I really enjoyed voyaging through the forest and getting some wild views of nearby castles nestled in the trees. Finally, we reached our airbnb, where our nice host told us of a market nearby to buy food. Reluctant to rescale the mountain so soon, we decided to look for this place without much luck. Fortunately, a saint of a woman outside her house took pity on us and offered to drive us to another store. Thankfully, one of my friends roommates knew enough german to carry on a very basic conversation while we bought dinner for us and a bottle of wine for our rescuer. In spite of all the complications, Saturday was such a weirdly fun day that I'll never forget.

On sunday came a cruise trip down the rhine river, where we spent two hours enjoying the rhine valley views. Colorful cottages are topped by hulking mountains with foggy forests and Gothic castles. A bit more scenic than a train, that's for sure. Afterward, we voyaged off to frankfurt. Germanys banking capital, frankfurt has a very ultramodern progressive feel, which is evident in its art installations and skyscrapers. We explored this area before heading to the shopping center, which was packed by a Christmas market. I was so captivated by its grandiosity and luxuriousness. The city center was buzzing with people, the stores on either side of the market were dressed with outrageous light displays, and street performers made graffiti art and played panflute. On the same street as this crowd was myZeil, a mall with an actual hole in its front. Needless to say, we checked it out. The hole projects through the whole building and into its staircase, making for a surreal scene.

Myzeil from outside 

The "black hole"

From myzeil, we headed toward the old town, where the "real" christmas market was being held. After stopping at a few cathedrals and markets, we happened upon the Alstadt and i was awestruck by its beauty. Underneath a stunning collection of medieval buildings, a cathedral, and intricate city hall was an unforgettable Christmas market. Around a radiant two story carousel were stalls with hollywood lighting that cooked gingerbread and sold craft beer to hordes of visitors. between the architecture and the vibrant market, wandering through this square felt like walking through a dream. Upon finally leaving, we went to another love locked bridge over the main river so we could see the frankfurt skyline. Dominated by colorfully illuminated ultramodern skyscrapers, it's a sight that inspires.

My trip through germany was hectic and chaotic but definitely put me in the christmas spirit. frankfurt in particular, with its ultramodern progressive feel, grand christmas markets, and vibrant air blew me away. It was a wonderful way to celebrate finals week. Best of all was coming home to Cork, a town that I absolutely can't fathom leaving a week from today.

Celebrate we will

Because most flights out of ireland fly from dublin instead of cork, most of my flights have been prefaced by a three hour bus trip through the irish countryside to dublin airport. Although it adds 30 euro and 6 hours to every trip, I tend to enjoy aircoach rides because Im able to relax into a relatively comfy seat and watch scenes of picturesque rural ireland fly by my window. With quaint farmhouses nestled amongst an unending expanse of gently undulating green hills, sheep and horses ambling through their fields, and tree topped mountains towering in the distance, it's a classically irish image that will forever remain etched in my heart.
On this particular aircoach journey, I'm even more transfixed by the scenery than usual. I'm using every cognitive resource necessary to fix these sights into my mind, knowing that my next aircoach will be the one to take me away from cork for the foreseeable future. Throughout this quarter, class registration at my home university, my summer internship search, and contact with my friends from home all served as subtle reminders that my time in cork was temporary. However, i didnt fully absorb the reality of my rapidly impending departure until arriving home from spain to realize it was now december. turning in the last of my papers only compounded my grief.
Thankfully, I only have one exam during UCC's two week long exam period, so I've been able to spend aimless days enjoying the city that has so quickly become home. Window shopping at the city centre's decked out department stores and niche shops, wandering through the beautiful wooded path aling the river lee, and even just taking in the magical festive atmosphere of this Christmas crazed city has been a really peaceful way to celebrate my quarter here.
Understandably this downtime has put me in a reflective mood, both about my quarter in ireland and about the next chapter of my life. As much as Im looking forward to seeing my family,friends, and favorite hockey team, I'm reluctant to end this amazing experience. I used to roll my eyes at people who "found themselves" in europe, but I've been truly transformed by the experience of moving to ireland and exploring europe. By separating myself from all of my lifes relationships and obligation and exploring new cultures and places, ive been able to view my life with new eyes and a broader mindset.
Though I'd always known on a rational level that my self worth isnt defined by getting a 3.xx or getting "that" internship, being away from the endless tide of weekly midterms made me realize that without all that work, I didnt know who I was anymore. Certainly, I'm proud of my academic success, but my hyperfocus on staying on the constantly accelerating hamster wheel that is my schools atmosphere has kept me from taking chances, going out, and actually living.
Only the process of moving to a foreign country and traveling across europe has given me the confidence to do so. Probably because my school attracts very intelligent, wealthy, and glamorous people, I've automatically approached opportunity with trepidation, constantly dreaming up things that could go wrong. Once i realized that my insecurities could keep me from seeing the places that have haunted my dreams for years, though, I stretched my comfort zone and now feel more able to chase my dreams.
One of those dreams, even more than before, is traveling the world. I had imagined that weekend trips to europe would calm my wanderlust but it's only amplified my desire to explore new places and see the world. I've been to four, soon to be five countries, this quarter and each one has broadened my mind and given me memories ill cherish forever. Despite myself, ive already found myself looking at my schools graduation trip to europe and fantasizing about the next adventure.
And if there's anything I've learned while in ireland and europe, it's that I'll be back.

vamos a la playa! : san sebastian, spain and biarritz, France

Being from Chicago, Ive learned to associate thanksgiving break with football games, first snowfalls, and the beginning of socially acceptable christmas countdowns. Suffice it to say that spending 2 days on the beach doesn't really fit that vision. But after 2 action packed days in the touristy heart of barcelona, my friends and i were eager for the contrast offered by the quaint, more authentically northern spanish beach town of San sebastian. Certainly we deserved the relaxation after successfully making our 7 am sunday morning bus out of barcelona. San sebastians location on the north coast meant we were on the road for 8 hours, but traversing the jaw dropping expanse of the pyrenees definitely broke up the monotony.


Upon finally arriving in San sebastian, we trudged over to our hostel to realize that it had closed for siesta. Talk about an introduction to Spanish culture. To kill time, my friends and i wandered around a quaint boardwalk next to the town centre. With kids playing on a carousel overlooking the empty beach and only a few others walking around, the waterfront was really still and serene. We continued on until we discovered a scenic road on a beachless coast, where huge square rocks block the waters path and a hulking mountain looms in the distance.

Afterward, we finally set ourselves up in our hostel, of which we were the only guests for the night. Certainly a benefit of traveling in the off season. We walked back along the beach to the town center, which while sedate was still full of families and teenagers enjoying dinner or hanging out outside of this gorgeous cathedral. Overall, an uneventful but relaxing day.

The next morning, we found ourselves en route to biarritz, france. Yes, france. While first walking into town, we'd passed road signs pointing to "Franzia", but aside from a few jokes about boxed wine we hadn't given it much thought. But our host recommended that we cross the border to see this little beach town, so we decided to take a totally random bus trip to biarritz.
And what a good decision that was, as this resort town is absolutely divine. We started the day well with a visit to Frances first coffeehouse for pastries and expensive but absolutely mindblowing coffee (sorry, dunkin). After that, we walked over to the shores, where rocky scenic lookouts protrude onto the water and provide for some views that honestly look created by CGI. As you can tell, these sights kept us occupied for a while.

after filling our cameras and messing around on the rocks, we finally left the shores and headed to a traditional creperie for lunch. Bring a resort town in the beginning of december, the streets were pretty deserted. That said, I was still transfixed by just how cute everything was- from the French style houses to the seaside views and the Gothic chapels. If I ever needed to hide out somewhere, biarritz would be a good choice. 

After lunch at the creperie, we went to the beach for another round of pictures and caught a bus back to San sebastian. My friends and i hiked up this really steep hill hidden among the trees to reach a castle. My quads are still feeling the effects of the climb, but the panoramic view of San Sebstian granted by this stone castle was worth the effort. 

Naturally, it started raining 2 minutes after we reached the very top of the giant hill. Thankfully, we found shelter at our hosts apartment where we watched movies and relaxed before leaving for our overnight bus to madrid. In all, although we didnt approach the two days with any sort of plan, san sebastian and biarritz were enchanting. id never even heard of eitger town before coming to ireland, but i really enjoyed spending a few days just hanging out on the beach and just absorbing the views. 

barcelona, aka I'm supposed to live through a chicago winter after this?

Always at the top of my bucket list, I'd been counting down the months, weeks, and days until barcelona since four friebds fron my program and i booked our five day trip through spain. After leaving a pitch black dublin at 615 AM, barcelona's cloudless blue skies, overwhelmingly bright sun, and 60 degree temperatures were a very welcome sight. The good weather continued on the way to our hostel, which was perfectly situated in the midst of the waterfront, city centre, and La Rambla. A pedestrianized street of flower markets, souvenir shops, tented restaurants, and boutiques, La Rambla is Barcelona's pulse. Just crowded enough to excite but spacious enough not to overwhelm, I could count on getting sidetracked for at least 20 minutes anytime I crossed La Rambla en route to my hostel, whether by the savory smell of tapas, street musicians, or just the bubbling energy of the place.

After getting set up at our accomodation, my group headed to sagrada familia for a free tour of this arresting cathedral originally designed by modernist architect gaudi over 100 years ago. However, sagrada familia is so awash with jaw dropping originality that it's not scheduled to be completed for another 10 years. Miscommunication prevented us from  getting a tour so we "settled" for some exterior shots.

To get our fill of cool buildings, we ventured to Parc Guell, a forested park incorporating some of Gaudi's most outrageous pieces. I'd already been mesmerized to these pieces during my AP Art History class, but walking among these creations felt like visiting someone's acid trip. Especially because they are set against the forest and the city skyline, park guell completely dwarfed my own high expectations.

Following park guell was dinner and wandering around barcelona's streets which, per Spanish culture, truly come alive at night. Insane displays of Christmas lights hang from every street, music pumps from every restaurant, and more people crowd the streets if the trendier neighborhoods including Gothic Quarter. As implied by its name, it is a historic district featuring tight cobblestone streets of boutiques and bars, Roman ruins, and a cathedral that now overlooks a Christmas market. Far from ancient, Gothic Quarter is a really vibrant place just to unwind.

With the next day came a visit to the marina and Barceloneta, its slightly more distant beach district. Along the marina are a lot of interesting modern sculptures and a background mountain, making for  gorgeous view. 20 minutes after passing the marina, we reached barceloneta and the shores of the Mediterranean.  Also joining the party was a rainshower, but our experience with ireland rain kept us from complaining (much). That was probably a hidden blessing because even in the adverse conditions, I spent an hour walking along the sand, watching windsurfers tackle the rushing turquoise waves and wishing I could join in. If it'd been 70 and sunny, I'd be applying teach english in spain right now.

Once we finally separated ourselves from the beach, we went to the site of the 1992 olympics. Although the threat of a storm kept us from trying to find the actual stadium, we walked through the former Olympic village. It now features commemorative statues and a lot of modern buildings and casinos obviously meant to entertain the athletes. Sports geek that I am, I enjoyed taking in the sights and imagining magic and going crazy on the strip after winning gold.

While planning my travels months ago, barcelona had emerged as an absolute must see. Thankfully, the city only exceeded my huge expectations. With its colorful and otherwordly buildings, paln tree lined streets, friendly and warm people, vibrant but lax atmosphere, all within walking distance of a beach , it's easily become my favorite place behind cork and chicago. I could not be more thankful to have another chance to experience it  during new years.