Camino de Santiago de Compostela

What is usually a month long trail, only took us about 3 hours to complete not even a quarter of the hike. It was surreal to see so many pilgrimages from all parts of the world walking right on this trail. I managed to meet pilgrims from Germany, Asia, France, etc. To think hardcore pilgrims spend an entire month doing nothing but walking along this very trail...that's 30 days of just...walking. Insane.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

These past 2 months have been insanely crazy, spectacular, and cool. I've been so caught up with every second of my life here, I hardly have anytime to reflect on the things I have done during this entire time (let alone blog about it...I am so horrible at this). So, instead of trying to come up with a long novel, I've decided to display my 60 days worth of adventure through pictures, after all, they are worth more than I can describe in words. So, here they are:

1.Carnavales! Mardi Gras. I know, pirate costume, how original lol.

2. Irun: The end of Carnavales-symbolical bonfire signifying rebirth and the celebration of spring in the small French Basque town.

3. Beasain: followed a three hour long hike up a mountain to find this spectacular view of the small basque town.

4. Hondarribia: watching the sunset on the French boarder. Cool thing about this place...spain is about less than a mile away (just on the other side of the lake).

5. Zumaia: continuing my epic adventure which led me to the end of this cliff.

6. Crime scene after an hour of pre-cleaning. Surprise parties are fun...not so much the aftershock.

7. KEA (the <3 of my life live) concert in Tolosa. Local Basque band that manages to capture my attention, even though I have ni puta idea of what they are singing.

8. My quest to make a difference in the world. Organized a Beach Clean-Up with the Internship I am currently working for (Surfriders) in honor of international water day!

9. Have now not only dominated Mexican and Basque Cuisine, but also been mastering my Italian as well....pesto for days! Sushi and Kebabs are next.

10. Met the person I can't live without <3

Next up: Spring Break 2011
Ciao bella goes back to Viterbo...whoooo, take your shirt off!

Jesus Mountain

What a way to end a looong week. On top of having absolutely astronomical amounts of homework and exams AND the fact that it has been raining cats and dogs nonstop for the past week, the skies finally opened up and this was the result...

First order of business: GELATO. Okay, it may not be the gelato I once had in Italy, but this was the best alternative I have found since I have been in Spain.

Second order of business: Jesus Mountain. A steep hill located right off the coastline facing the main boardwalk of San Sebastian. I guess this

monument was of great representation of what was once a San Sebastian (a military front, situated within medieval walls and a whole bunch of cannons lining the interior. So, why is it that I call it "Jesus Mountain"? Maybe because there is a GINORMOUS statue of Jesus right smack on top of the hill. It also faces the city and gives way to yet another spectacular view. It only took us about 20 minutes to reach the tip-top. It was pretty cool. We passed by several burial grounds (grave yards of English soldiers...if my Euskera is any good, that is what I got from the information boards). We also passed by a couple of jail cells (or hidden caves), abandoned huts, cannons, etc. I never really payed much attention to the history of this place. It is honestly something that never really caught my eye sight or interest. BUT the more I explore this city and the more I find things like this, the more inclined I am to learn. After all, I am living here for the next 5-6 months.

*Side note* it's raining again...i left my clothes out to dry...fuck.

Voila!

It seems like my anxiety to finally get back on the road has finally paid off. My weekend venture to Paris could not have been better planned. It has been a while since things have gone 100% right and it feels good to say that I did everything I had ever hoped to do in a city as beautiful as Paris.

The first night there, a couple of friends and I wound up on the streets of the infamous "Sex District", and let me say, I have never in my life felt so inclined to jump into a car with a pretty good looking French dude and hit it up...NOT! Sweat baby Jesus, was it ridiculous! The second us girls found out where our current location was, we did not think twice about making the biggest escape of our lives. We took the first cab we could find back to the hotel...but let me tell ya, it was the funniest shit ever. A friend of mine, in her not so normal state of mind, started a friendly talk with the cab driver, whom I am pretty sure loathed us for being the "typical, obnoxious, American" girls French can't seem to get enough of. The only thing I seem to remember getting out of him was the word: Queen. Queen, the hot spot and apparent place to be in Paris, was on the check list soon after we were dropped back off at the hotel. The next day...or better yet, a couple of hours later, I got up early to head off the the Museo del Louvre and see the Mona Lisa.

And what a piece it was! Smaller than I expected but FILLED with history...well, everything in that museum is filled with history...but still, it was breath taking. I got complemented for my green nail polish, walked through The Louis Vuitton and window shopped, did some actual shopping (despite my hatred towards the action...but HEY! When in Paris...) had some of the best crepes/coffee/croissant of my life, ate pizza after 5 months of pizza heaven in Italy, saw the phenomenal view of the city by night on top of the Eiffel Tour, was inspired to sketch Notre Dame, practiced my awesome photography skills( or at least I tried...) blah, blah, blah...wound up at Queens to dance the night away. En Fin...fueron unos dias inolvidables.

spontaneity

I got a call from a good friend of mine this past weekend to hang out. Hanging out, for me at least, entails anything an average person would do on an average Saturday evening in Spain...coffee date, a trip to the movie theater, cruising down to ¨La Parte Vieja¨and catching some authentic pintos at a local bar...(I know, my idea of a weekend excursion in Spain is best fit for a 90 year old lady with 20 cats and a pile of yarn beside her rocking chair, what the HELL am I doing here?). Well, to my surprise, I really am the only nut case out there who would ever dare to do anything normal on a Saturday evening. Instead, we decided to venture out to an island located about a couple km away from the coast of San Sebastián by means of a Kayak along with a 6 pack of San Miguel and no swim suit. Oh, and no experience in this art whatsoever AND in 3 C weather! The waves were massive and people were looking at us like we were crazy as we made our way out to the dock...All I could think of was, shit, where have I been for the past 2 weeks? We made it to the island in about 30 min...including the technical difficulties that were presented to us upon trying to get onto the island. We cruised around for a bit, this place is amazing! Something straight out of a Jurassic Park scene! We chilled next to the shoreline, watching the waves crash into the ginourmous piles of rock... watched the sunset... drank a few beers...couldn't have imagined a better Saturday.

I promised myself that I was going to have an epic adventure this semester, now that I was given a second chance at life. It has been about two weeks now since I last had an impulse/out of the blue moment....the frustration is slightly rising the more time passes by. I am desperate...

I left my heart in Italy

Someone once told me: There is always an end to everything.
To this I say: Life is full of surprise...expect the unexpected.

My experiences in Viterbo could never compare to anything else I have lived in my entire life. The people I met, the places I saw, the things I did, all fully stored inside my head where the chances of forgetting are pretty limited. Who's to say that what I thought would be the end was only going to lead to a new beginning. By total and absolute chance (not to mention an impulse decision) I decided to ship half of my 4 months worth of belongings back home...ONLY to realize that my venture around Europe would continue. Yes, I decided it was too soon to end this journey and have extended it for an entire YEAR. Unfortunately, Viterbo will no longer be among the possibilities of places to stay, and that's alright. I wouldn't trade the experience I had in Italy for anything in the world. I couldn't even compare it to anything I've done thus far. It would be a sin to try and make new memories and friends after living through what I have.

Sooo, I've decided to shift my studies else where...Basque Country to be exact. SAN SEBASTIÁN/DONOSTIA. I can already tell this experience will be very very very different than that of Italy.

So far, my interest lies on my favorite hobby in the entire world: creepin'
People watching. Always a joy. This city is probably 10x bigger than Viterbo, which means, more people. I hate to think that who ever is reading this right now comes to the conclusion that I'm just plain weird, hahaha. But you have to admit, people watching is a great time killer. Whilst I creep, I have noticed a few things...so far,

Culture Shock #1
You think American's are crazy for stylin' a pup up? Welp, so are Donostia locals. Not only that..but I think if I were to ever walk my dog without a leash back in the states...well, ¡hasta la vista, perro! You don't see dogs running around as if they were on crack. Nope...they all seem fairly obedient and only stick to the sides of their masters. I am literally dumbfounded every time I see a dog-walker walking his dog without a leash. DUMBFOUNDED.

Culture Shock #2
Strollers with big wheels are in. On this note, so are fancy-shmancy strollers...the kind you would see back in the day.

Culture Shock #3
There is ALWAYS an excuse to party here...

Culture Shock #4
There is no such thing as coffee "to go"
No such thing as a coffee thermal either

Culture Shock #5
I'm no surfer wiz...(although I would like to be one day)...but surfing in 0 degree Celsius weather just doesn't cut it for me...the surfer community sure means business here.

Culture Shock #6
What bread is to Donostia is what tortillas are for Mexicans

Culture Shock #7
I am in bike-ridding HEAVEN!
Bike riders even get their own private sidewalk...exclusively for riding a bike! Gaaaaaaw!

Culture Shock #8
I have yet to see a girl wear her hair in a messy "Britney Spears" bun. Oh, and flip flops are a definite no no.

Culture Shock #9
Went grocery shopping the other day and was charged for a plastic bag (.05 euro cents, but still).

Culture Shock #10
It's been tough trying to keep up with the order, eat, and then pay deal. I hate to admit that the "paying" part almost always manages to slip my mind.