Amsterdam

Well well well, what do I have to say about Amsterdam? Saved the best city for last!? That could possibly be the case.. Amsterdam was by far one of my favorite cities I've visited here... Even with it being much colder than I am used to. I've realized while I'm here that I definitely could not live in a cold place full time!! But visiting them is just fine by me!

Anthony and I got to Amsterdam late at night on Thursday night. We had a 9:00 plane and got in aroudn 11:45. We asked a bunch of people directions and eventually taking 1 train and 1 night bus, we found our hostel... that we had paid 15 euros for... this was my first real real hostel experience of sharing with people you don't know. We walk into our tiny, not very clean, 3 bunk bed room and theres 3 other guys there who had just gotten back from a concert getting ready to go to sleep. We introduced ourselves, had very little small talk, and got ready for bed too. Let me tell you, falling asleep in a room with 4 guys three of which you don't know at all was not that easy! Well at about 3am a random girl comes in and takes the last bed so at least for half the night I wasn't the only girl.. haha.

Just one of the many canals in Amsterdam

The next day, Anthony and I got a bagel and a muffin and then hit up some coffeeshops. If you know anything about the coffeeshops in Amsterdam you'll know what I'm talking about. It was great haha. After hitting up coffee shops, getting some french fries, petting a puppy, and walking around a little while we went to the Heineken Factory. It was super cool! They have a whole history section (kinda boring), then they show the brewing process, then they teach you how to drink a heineken correctly, then theres this simulator machine thing that pretends like you are the beer and getting bottled, then you get 2 free beers!! And some random people gave us their 2nd ones so we got 3 free beers! It was awesome!! For 16 euros though we should get 3 free beers haha. Then the rest of the day consisted of coffeeshops, getting some dank chinese food, and finding Emily and Kevin who were meeting us there. When we finally found them we went back to our hostel (where our stuff was stored) and then made our way to our hotel.

French fries are good regardless of location

Heineken factory!!

My 2 free beers!

Saturday we woke up at around 9, and got some great pancakes. Amsterdam has pancakes on like every corner and they are HUGE. I got bacon pancakes... pancakes with bacon cooked into them.. can you say DANK!? yeeeahhh. anyways after that (and hitting up a coffeeshop) we did this super cool escape room thing. We were locked in a room for an hour and had to figure out clues to get out of there. It was actually super fun and we got super into it.. although we took to long to figure out where to start and so we ran out of time and didn't get out:((( oh well haha maybe next time. After that we got MORE food.. a sausage AND walk to wok again. And then walked around... more coffeeshops... got some dinner at an Irish bar where I was trying to be cheap and not eat so much because I had such a big lunch and got fries and 2 beers... which ended up being 18 euros!! For fries and 2 Guinesses.. like what!? hahah whatever.. then made it home by 11.

My BACON PANCAKE!

This cool photo I took of my beanie I got while I was there

20 things I have learned while being here

With only 15 DAYS LEFT HERE, I'm starting to freak out about coming home! Obviously I haven't kept up with this blog very well because, well thats just me, but in the middle of my trip I did start to get a little homesick. Now that my time here is coming to an end, I am sooo weirded out to be going home. It's such an odd feeling... like I am excited but also not at all haha. The experiences that I have had here have been so amazing that I feel like I'm just going to be pessimistic about going to lame bars at U of A. But I guess that's all a mindset and knowing myself I have fun wherever I go so I'm sure I'll be fine haha:) And it is my last semester of my senior year so it's bound to be crazy haha.

Anyways, today I did have a little FOMO seeing the Snapchats of the last tailgates of the year. I usually don't really watch them/ just click through them really quickly because I find that watching what other people are doing really has no relevance to me and it only makes me feel like I'm missing out (and why would I do that to myself?) but today was a LAZY lazy Sunday in Orvieto so I decided to watch all of my Snapchats (along with 3 episodes of Suits, writing a paper for finals, and now writing in this blog because I'm tired of watching suits) and thus resulting in FOMO. I seriously believe social media does nothing but make people miserable and will be the downfall of humanity... but I still participate in it haha... Why? I guess because I don't take it that seriously and know it's not real and like to post things that I like.

Well this trip has really opened my eyes to a lot of things/ heavily reinforced things I already knew:

1.  I am not as good at public transit as I thought I would be
2. People in Europe can be just as grumpy as people in America can be and your happiness is so much based on your mentality on life.
3. Time is perspective: A minute can go by so slowly when waiting for a train but so quickly when your taking a timed test. Obviously already knew this one but traveling really puts it into perspective. 10 minutes before a train can actually be a lot of time and I did not need to be freaking out as much as I have. ha ha.
4. Even though the food is not GMO and doesn't have all the chemicals it does in America and it supposedly "healthier", eating pizza 5 days out of the week will still make you gain weight... :(
5. People don't exactly care that your abroad (they are just busy with their own lives) and I'm surprised if you're reading this
6. Italians are really really persistent and I am too nice and shouldn't give out my number to anyone.
7. I should have learned Italian while I was here but instead have embraced the stereotype of being an ignorant American... sorry America for letting you down
8. Ryanair sucks and is a gypsy
9. Beds in Europe are hard
10. Life is seriously so much of what you make it and having a positive mindset about any and everything will change your life tremendously
11. People look at you funny when you dye your hair an odd color
12. Reading is good for you and everyone should read more and watch more documentaries
13. I know nothing about politics and should refrain from trying to speak to people about them before I know what I'm talking about
14. Pizza is life
15. Coffee is great
16. I miss my dog more than some of the people I know at U of A
17. What is this even a list of anymore? Idk. Tt was supposed to be things I've learned but whatever I think I'm going to be done now
18. Props to whoever actually read any of this
19. American's rely too much on WiFi and we can't survive without it
20. I only wrote 2 more on this list because I wanted it to be an even number of 20. OCD? Possibly.

BUONA SERA

Some picture I took (I think in Assisi) that I thought I'd throw in here 

Traveling Italy with my mom

Well my mom just left after we spent a very amazing week together traveling around Italy! I don't think I've ever spent that much time with my mom, let alone anyone! haha. We went to Venice where we started our trip off watching to sunset with a glass of prosecco and some clams and mussels! It was AMAZING. Venice was truly an experience!! (I think I saw that a lot, but I find it the best adjective in these trips) Walking the streets of Venice is like being in a maze, with high walls everywhere, and skinny streets, it was easy to get lost. Although we were lost about half of the time were able to get to all the major attractions: the San Marco square, Burano and Murano island, the Realto bridge, aaand... I think thats all? We also had a boat tour through the canals of Venice that was very cool.

 From Venice we went to Orvieto for a day where I was able to show my mom where I have been living the last couple months! I think she liked Orvieto the much... it's much slower paced and peaceful. Much different than the big cities.

After Orvieto, we went to Florence where we hit all the major museums as well. Accademia, the Uffizi, Boboli Gardens, and the Duomo. We also saw the Pope!! He hadn't been to Florence in 30 years and he just so happened to be there when we were there which was pretty cool. The Uffizi museum was a last minute decision that we decided we probably should have had a tour guide for on account of that we had to come back to Michealangelo's painting having passed it the first time without even knowing we'd seen it! haha. That place was HUGE. Museums are such a weird thing because so many people go to them, but sometimes I feel that we all just force ourselves to go there because we think we have to? Like theres some obligation to go pay money to see paintings that are famous. Which I guess isn't a bad thing, but I just highly doubt that every single person out of the however many thousand people that visit the Uffizi museum are highly interested in the paintings they are looking at. Well anyways Florence was smaller than I thought and we were able to walk pretty much everywhere. This whole week we had amazing weather! It was pretty sunny and warm all week with no rain and only one day in Florence where it was overcast! Lucky for us. I think beginning of November is actually a great time to visit Italy because it is not too hot.

After Florence we went back to Rome where we saw the Sistine Chapel, the Basilica, and the Trevi fountain which were all AMAZING!! The work involved in creating these wonders is just astounding. I really was in awe of the immenseness and beauty of the Basilica. The tour we had of it and the Sistine chapel was probably one of the best if not the best tours that I have gotten thus far in Italy. I don't know if it was the guide or the fact that our group was so small but I was able to be pretty attentive the whole 3 hours (something that usually is not the easiest for me haha... my mind is a wanderer).

Besides the tours and sights we saw, the rest of our time was filled with lots of food, wine, and conversation. It truly was a fantastic week that I am lucky to have spent with my mom :)

Barcelona

Ummm definitely one CRAZY experience to say the least. I LOVED Barcelona but after this weekend am sure glad I did not study abroad there. Way too crazy and unhealthy of a lifestyle as you will see... I'm not even sure where to begin! We left last Thursday in the morning to catch a 7:30 am train. (We didn't book in time so that was the only one available). Since our flight wasn't until 1:50, when we got to Rome we just walked around a little, and for some reason taking Sam's advice, bought metro tickets to get to the airport with. Upon realizing that the metro didn't go to the airport we scrambled to get train tickets in time. Then arriving to the airport just in time Halle and I had to check in because we didn't do so online and had to pay 45 euros extra. I HATE RYANAIR. Flight went smoothly and we finally got to Barcelona! Got some bravas patatoes and walked to our apartment (I'm pretty sure in the 3 days I was there I walked at least 20 miles).

Waiting for our flight in Rome!

(oh yeah, forgot to mention, I dyed my hair purple the Tuesday before I left for the weekend)

That night we got ready to go out at around 10 because these people are crazy and they don't go out until like 12. We went to this little bar that had free popcorn called Le Serano. It was a tiny little bar with one bathroom but it was fun meeting a ton of people and swapping study abroad stories. After that (I'm assuming it was around 2am at this time) we went to the club Bling Bling. Very fun club but some fuzzy memories. Ended up getting home around 5-6am I believe. SO, not including my 20 minute nap on the plane, I had been awake for close to 23 hours straight! Slept until 2:30 in the afternoon! Then went to get some food with my guy friends who are studying in Barcelona too. We tried to go to the zoo but it was closing unfortunately. After that, we walked around Barcelona for awhile, shopped, got some desserts, and then I made my way back alone to the apartment I was staying. I like walking in big cities alone for some reason. I think it's so interesting how alone everyone can be while surrounded by millions of people. And not alone like lonely, but just alone. 

Anyways, moving on. That night we went to Opium and had an "early" night.. getting home at 4:30am. This time I woke up at 10 and we went to the market where we got the BEST meal ever for only 5 euros (it was like Chipotle but even better)! It was delicious. And these little juice things made with pure fruit juices. It was Halloween but it hardly felt like it. Halloween in Europe definitely isn't celebrated the same way. Just not as hyped up. After that we went back to the apartment to take an unsuccessful nap and then ended up going to this spot called the Bunker that looks over the city. It was a hike but it was cool. We went to Sam Feldt concert that night and had a fantastic time! Getting home around 5am. Flight was leaving at 11:20 so we woke up at 7am to leave the apartment, catch a bus, and get to the airport on time.

Before going out to Opium!

My "chipotle" aka best meal ever

At the market!! Those juices^^ are life

The market

All was fine until the worst day of my entire life began.

We were standing in our boarding line, completely exhausted from the weekend, when we were pulled aside for we weren't even sure what for. They definitely picked us out of the crowd to have us check our bag. They were going to try to charge us 50 euros to check it. Me being my stubborn self started getting mad and retaliated. I was not trying to pay 50 euros for my bag that I CARRY ON EVERY FLIGHT. So I was being difficult saying I don't understand why I can't carry this on when I do every flight and refusing to pay and this stupid ugly bitch, excuse my language but I hate her, says "ok you don't come then"... and was serious. When I realized she was serious I immediately apologized, offered to pay, offered to pay her off, continuously apologized again and again, cried, begged, explained why I was so upset about having to pay, asked her to understand, was literally on my knees at one point but her mind was made up that I was not getting on the plane. I watched my friends walk onto the plane while I was left there, completely exhausted, to find a way home from Barcelona. Walked around the airport for about 30 min before finding the right place to buy a new plane ticket. Luckily there were 2 other Americans in the same boat as me. Had a little pity party for ourselves and then when we got to our gate and I was charging my phone the breakdown happened, and lets just say it wasn't a little breakdown. I don't usually show my feelings too well so once the tears started falling it was hard to stop. Lots of bottled up emotions from more than just the missed flight were coming out. A random girl even came up and gave me a piece of chocolate and a hug while I was trying to eat my sandwich because I looked that pathetic. LOL. Flight was at 4:30 so had a couple hours at the airport but I couldn't sleep because I was scared I wasn't going to wake up for my flight. Finally got on the plane (boarding guy didn't even give my bag a second glance) and took a little 30 min nap. Got to the Rome airport, took a bus to the train station. My mom had bought me a weird online train ticket so frantically looked around for where to print it. Found the place, had to beg people to let me in front of them because I was going to miss my train, got it printed, sprinted to my platform which was THE LAST one in the place, and the Rome train station is not small. Finally sat on the train, of course right across from this beautiful put together girl and her hot boyfriend, which I was dripping sweat, still hadn't slept, probably looked like a crack head, and put on my headphones and tried not to cry again.. somewhat unsuccessfully. Couldn't sleep again because I didn't want to miss stop and finally got to Orvieto. Saw people in my program and was able to cab up the hill and FINALLY made it home at around 10 PM. (remember my lack of sleep from the first 2 nights, the 2 hours I had that night, and then the being awake from 7am?) I'm sure you can imagine how exhausted, delirious, sad, distraught, numb, etc... I was. I took a shower and went to sleep. 

Anyways, that day was the longest and most emotionally draining I think I have ever ever had in my whole entire life but whatever, I'm alive and fine now, and have learned that there are some seriously evil people working for Ryanair.. which I will be writing to them about (not that they will do anything). Which this was a hell of hard lesson to learn just for that? Everything happens for a reason but I'm not sure why that happened or what else I was supposed to learn. Just to pay 50 because some lady sees your American girls and wants to make you pay?? Umm probably still am never going to check that bag or be chill throwing money away like that.