A night in Barcelona

Lately I've been feeling a bit of culture shock. Imagine sitting down to lunch with your family while watching the afternoon news. An inside look on a film about prostitution comes on, and all of a sudden you're looking at lengthy shots of frontal nudity. Yep, that's Europe for you.

After traveling to Morocco, Italy and the Czech Republic this month, heading back into Spain on Saturday was an interesting change. We got into the airport starving in Barcelona, and I picked up a ham and cheese sandwich, which I would never do in the states. There's just something about the ham in Europe. I had an incredibly satisfying ham and cheese sandwich in Milan. But back to Barcelona.

The airport offers a free shuttle to the train station, and the metro is cheap, quick and easy. By the time we got out into the city center, it was dark again. In the three days I was away, I only saw the sun twice. Once was on the plane from Prague back to Spain, and the other time was the short bus ride to the train station in Barcelona. But the lack of sun in Prague fit the city so well. From the statues lining Charles Bridge to the medieval torture devices underground in Prague Castle, everything is dark, sinister and gloomy.

You'll see Prague soon. For now, see Barcelona at night.

Back from Barcelona

I'm back in Seville. Back to juggling multiple tasks: organizing photos, planning my next trip, writing papers and figuring out next semester. I will say that this weekend was among the most memorable I've had in my life. In Barcelona, we walked up through a park and saw spectacular views of the city all lit up. We walked through a cathedral that had an open air section in the middle, and we saw some of Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi's famous work. While I wish we had had another day there, we got a glimpse into the essence of Barcelona, and the extra time in Prague was well worth it.

You've read the stories. See the sights. Here is some video of people dancing in front of Barcelona's cathedral Saturday night. From Prague, photos and video are coming, but until then ...

Live from Prague Part II

First, I would like to wish you a belated Happy Thanksgiving! I feasted on sandwiches my housemother prepared for me, but I ate them in Prague, where Thanksgiving doesn't really exist. About Prague ...

I'm just wrapping up day two here, which started watching the "sunrise" over Charles Bridge and ended while relaxing to classical music performed by a live orchestra. The bridge is like Prague itself, even better than it's made out to be. Bookended by towers and churches, the historic bridge is lined with 30 exquisite statues, each with political, religious, or historical significance (often all three). And with very few people crossing early in the morning, we spent an hour strolling through, snapping photos and soaking in the history and views of the castle and other highlights of Lesser Town.

The castle was next. Probably the largest medieval castle in the world, Prague Castle now houses the president of the Czech Republic. We saw San Vito Cathedral, the royal palace, Golden Lane, St. George Basilica and more. A breathtaking view met us 287 steps up in the cathedral, and the Story of Prague taught us the city's history, including burial methods for the royal family, stories of martyrs and timelines dating back thousands of years.

We capped off the festivities with a beautiful orchestral performance covering the likes of Mozart and Vivaldi. In the 400-seat magnificent concert hall, the show was soothing and the perfect break from walking all day, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

In the coming week, I'll have videos and photos to post. Tomorrow we finish off Prague and head to Barcelona for the evening. After two days in Prague, Barcelona feels like an afterthought, but we'll enjoy it just the same.

Live from Prague

The Tirando Cobre team has officially landed in Prague! It's just after 6 a.m., and my crew and I are headed out to Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle, the two biggest sights here. Yesterday we walked around New Town and Old Town, saw the astronomical clock and a cathedral lit up at night. There's something around every corner here, and we've been easily walking through the city. It's mostly pedestrian areas, so few cars are a nice change from pretty much everywhere except Venice.

Before I go, yesterday we also walked around the Jewish neighborhood and wandered into a handful of synagogues. The history from the Holocaust haunts the area: The names of 80,000 persecuted Jews line the walls of Pinkas Synagogue, while a chilling cemetary houses 300 years of Jews.

That's all for now, I'll check in again soon.

Venice in Seville

It hardly ever rains in Seville. But when it rains, it pours.

Yesterday, a torrential downpour hit Seville on and off from the wee hours of the morning to the late hours of the night. I could have used one of those water taxis I took throughout Venice (photo at right). In Seville, a man stood up to his knees in water right outside where I work. Later in the day, the area around my house was nearly inaccessible, as streets were flooded and sidewalks were reduced to a few inches wide.

Not to mention transportation: I could have gotten to school faster on a camel yesterday than taking the bus. When a few inches of rain fall in Seville, it's like the sky is falling.

Meanwhile, the day has finally come. It's less than 24 hours away (the time of post is right!). Tomorrow, I'm there.

Prague.

Arrivederci, Italia!

Ever since my parents brought me back a gondola from Venice, I had been dying to visit Italy. Now that I've gone and said goodbye (arrivederci), I'm dying to return.

People say there's nothing to see in Milan, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. We stood in awe of the breathtaking La Scalla opera house, and then walked through the third largest cathedral in the world (Seville has the second largest). We saw a castle where the duke of Italy lived before it was taken over by French and Spanish troops. The tour ended with a visit to Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, "The Last Supper," which is not actually on the wall of a church but still impressive.

Saturday was Venice, pictured above, and I fell in love at first sight. There's no place like it in the world, with hotels and palaces that sit on the water. Most of the streets are canals, and so there are no cars or motorcycles. My mom and I now have another special bond, and it is a love for Venice.

Keep an eye on the growing column of photos on the left side of the blog. I'll change the top photo whenever I add pictures.

I hope to get more photos and details up soon, but there's not much time to reflect. I am off to PRAGUE on Thursday. I've been reading books and looking online for what to do. I really enjoy learning about the city and planning the trip.

Morocco, Venice, Prague. It doesn't get much better than this.

Off to the fashion capital

Me? Going to the fashion capital of the world, Milan (Italy)? It sounds a little crazy to me, too. But bright and early (rally time is 5:30 a.m., probably 11:30 p.m. your time!) tomorrow I am headed out to Italy. It's the country I've been dying to go see for quite some time. Friday afternoon and evening is Milan, with a tour that includes the Duomo (cathedral), "The Last Supper (Da Vinci's famous painting) and the operahouse. Saturday is Venice ("The City of Water"), which is supposed to be among the most beautiful cities in the world.

I'm still sitting on more pictures and experiences from Morocco. At the moment, the most notable tidbit is that the trip has left me with a two-week stomach virus. I'm hoping I can still enjoy the deliciousness that is Italian food, but I'm not worried.

Internet at home is on the fritz again, so I'm not sure when you'll hear from me next. Until then.

Ballin'

A couple of weeks ago, my roommate and I went to a soccer game.

Buying tickets was easy. I walked two blocks straight out the front door of my apartment to the stadium's ticket window two days before the game. Five minutes later, I had a pair of tickets in my hand.

Sunday was game day. It wasn't exactly like a Philadelphia Eagles game, but the stadium, Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizquan, held the same fanatic party atmosphere. Fans stood outside talking, singing, drinking and getting amped for the big game. Inside the party was only bigger. In Philadelphia, everybody sings the Eagles fight song after the Birds score. In Seville, fans chant and sing nearly nonstop during the 90-minute match.

The game itself was great, especially from third-row seats. A friend told me it was the best effort he'd seen from the team all season. I actually prefer soccer to a handful of American sports. There may be few goals (actually three on this night), but the action doesn't stop for 90 minutes, which is much more time than the major American sports. Though the clock keeps rolling for goal celebrations and fouls, lost time is added back at the end. By the way, soccer players are terrible actors. Americans think basketball players are bad, but soccer players will just randomly fall and ask for a foul on the opposing team.

Everything is simple. The scoreboard only shows score and time, there's no special halftime entertainment or crab fries sold on the concourse. Fans are just there for the game.

You can find photos here from the team's 3-0 victory, while I've posted a video below. Listen closely to the crowd.

5,000 words

A picture is worth 1,000 words. More to come.

From one crazy world to the next

I am back in Seville. I had an amazing time in Morocco, and I have hundreds of photos from the trip that I will eventually get around to posting. For now, I am without Internet at home and incredibly busy, so check back late this week or this weekend.