A picture is worth a thousand words...

Kate and I on the first night

For those of you who have ever been to Mardi Gras in St. Louis or in New Orleans, I'm sure you know how crazy it can be! And it is to these people that I say--you ain't seen nothing yet. Carnaval the pre-lenten celebration in Europe that reminded me of a mixture between Mardi Gras and Halloween...on steroids. It was an absolutely wild weekend, but also an extremely fun time that I will NEVER forget...at least we have the pictures to remind us!

We left early on Friday morning--and after a long 8 hour bus ride, complete with a power hour to finish it off, we arrived in Cadiz. 5 friends and I stayed in an apartment/hotel room with two stories, a kitchen, and a patio overlooking a pretty little pond with fountains and palm trees--we were all so excited and definitely felt like we were on a Mexico or Florida spring break trip! After doing some grocery shopping for the essentials (peanut butter, bread, apples, and more alcohol) we just hung out and then went to a club later that night for free as part of the package deal for the weekend. This "club" was really just in a mall...and while it was less than what we expected, we were glad to have a bit of a casual night to prepare ourselves for the shenanigans ahead.

My roommates ready for some cocktails and sun!

Saturday morning I woke up and went for a run while my friends were sleeping, and returned around 11 to a drink in a plastic cup with a neon straw and my name on it! It was so nice out, so we all walked to the pool area of the resort and soaked up the sun. Anybody walking by would obviously know we were foreigners seeing as how the locals were in hoodies and pants--oh well, I don't care who you are, 65 and sunny is 65 and sunny.

Devin takes a tumble

The view from our hotel room patio...
not too shabby

Around 2 in the afternoon we went back to our room to turn up some music, get all ready in our tu-tu's, wigs, masks, boas, etc. and start the party! Amidst all of our festivities, one of our friends fell into the previously mentioned pretty little pond near our patio, wig, mask, costume and all. But like a trooper, she just shook it off and carried on with her day of acting a fool like the rest of us. Now that we're back, everyone continues to remember this moment as the highlight of the trip--I think that the pictures and memories of that even alone are worth the 140 euro I spent on the entire weekend for transportation, lodging, food, and the party! After that, we got on the bus to Cadiz and were dropped off literally into a sea of thousands and thousands of people, old and young, cross dressers, groups in costumes, drunk people of all ages, and just an all around wild party. It was overwhelming, but also one of the most fun times I've had--not to mention some of the best people watching in the world!

I don't know this person..
but applaud his self-confidence!

A large group of us went to the beach (it was physically impossible to stick together with everyone, but don't worry Dad...the buddy system was in full force!) and had a great time playing in the water and just running around having a good time. After watching the sun set, we went back to the city streets that were just covered with masses of people for parades, fireworks, music, and even a little play that we stumbled upon in a plaza complete with operatic singing. Half of the fun of Carnaval alone is the wide variety and creativity of the costumes of all the different groups. It's also really fun to see people from all over Spain, Europe, and the entire world come together for such a big and crazy festival. We talked to people from all over--and to be frank, I don't think I ever stopped laughing at something.

On the beach! So excited!

Somehow, we managed to make it back to the buses and the hotel with all of our friends alive and intact. I know that my roommates and I have spent so much time since we got back laughing about everything that happened and looking back at some of the pictures that are not only full of color, but also absolutely embarrassing for some, and hysterical for others.

I've been thinking of starting a postcard line...
beaches and tu-tu's

I know this was the trip that my parents were the most worried about--and probably for good reason! I did, however, survive, and had a great time doing it! I am putting up some pictures to attempt to explain the weekend..for those of you that still have questions--you're not the only one...but we've discovered that after a trip like this, some things are just better left unsaid.

Cheers to that!
Rachel

Part of our group of friends on the beach

Eusktxaolzikera, whaaaat?

On the beach in San Sebastian

We're not in Kansas any more folks, well at least not in Madrid anymore! After my family and I spent the week touring around Madrid, they left me to go to France while I had to tough it out at school for the week with a few tests. Luckily, I managed to survive and hopped on a flight Thursday evening to meet them in San Sebastian (a Basque town along the northern coast of Spain). I was a little nervous, not only to fly by myself, but mostly because I had not heard from my family since they had left Madrid...in a rental car...to drive across Spain and into France...three days earlier...so needless to say I was a bit antsy--I obviously didn't know that they would not have wifi access prior to leaving. 

My new friend, who after he insulted my map,
helped us find our way back to the hotel!

Everything with my flight and their trip worked out fine, and I met my parents at the San Sebastian airport. Upon my arrival, I learned that my parents had survived the past few days traveling from city to city and country to country without a GPS! It was painfully apparent how frazzled they were, especially since we discovered that all of the street signs were written in Euskara (and sometimes Spanish...) in all the cities and highways. For some of my less than cultured readers, hehe, Euskara is the name of the Basque language which, as you can see per the title of this blog is impossible to read and has a lot of strange letters all jumbled up in it. Unlike Spanish, French, Italian, and even English, it has absolutely no roots in Latin and is completely different. 

The site of the running of
the bulls in Pamplona!

We finally found the hotel and I was reunited with the whole family, just as sick as when they left (poor Nana, she was quite the trooper, let me tell you), but happy to all be together again! We ventured out to the old town of San Sebastian, which was much different than I expected for some wine (a very very VERY common theme for the rest of the weekend). The city was huge and the area of our hotel right on the beach at the Bay of Biscay reminded me a bit of a boardwalk town on the beach in Florida or California...we could only imagine how crazy it must be during high season in the summer. The next morning, we feasted on the breakfast buffet at the hotel while serenaded by the Americanized radio station in the background playing nothing else but the song "Beep" by the Pussycat Dolls--circa 2006 and very reminiscent of my junior high dances. Then we headed off to Pamplona to go visit the town that is the site of the annual running of the bulls festival in July. We got a little lost along the way (who are we kidding...we got lost everywhere along the way), but luckily we always found our way to our destination...I think the trick was mixing a little bit of luck, Rick Steves' infamous book, our less than helpful tourist maps, and some friendly construction workers along the side of the road.

Silly Momma...

Pamplona was a lovely little city! We visited the fort, walked the same path as the running of the bulls,  visited yet another cathedral, and saw the famous bullring--the third largest in the world. The town is surprisingly small for it's worldwide reputation, but many of the locals told us that it's a pretty quaint and quiet place to visit throughout the rest of the year with exception of the running of the bulls festival. The pictures look insane--though I have conquered a major fear jumping out of a plane and all, I don't think I'm quite ready to run from an angry bull...I'm more of a distance girl than a sprinter.

Matador & Bull...some things never change (;

We stayed in Pamplona until early afternoon on Friday when we returned to San Sebastian for a traditional Basque lunch at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The bread was hot and soft, the wine was dark and dry, and the cheese was hard and flavorful--a dangerously delicious combination. (My mom and I quickly decided that we could get used to this diet...but I don't think I could afford the new wardrobe I'd have to purchase to accommodate my all-carb regimen). For lunch, we all tried something new: brown crab, quail, lamb chops, even a baby pig...hoof and all! The food was awesome, and I don't think I've ever been so full! We spent the rest of the day just enjoying each other and watching the sunset on the beach.

Outside the Guggenheim in Bilbao

Saturday morning we woke up and drove to Bilbao, Spain (pronunciation is still under debate) for the last full day of our tour around the Basque country. When we got there we found our hotel, and headed over to the Guggenheim, the very famous contemporary art museum in Bilbao, not only for it's famous works inside the museum, but almost for it's architecture alone. This building was amazing in and out...possibly my favorite part of the entire weekend. In general, Bilbao was very different than any city I have seen in Spain thus far, it was so interesting to see the balance between the traditional buildings and the very unique contemporary architecture. I loved it!

The Guggenheim--so artsy...literally!

After the Guggenheim, we headed back to the hotel. Some napped, some read, and others (well, Mom and me) drank wine. We walked around to a couple bars/restaurants sampling lots of different wines and having some much needed catch-up time...for those of you that don't know, I'm a pretty big momma's girl and missed our hang out time dearly! Then, Sarah and my Dad found us in route to another pub and joined us to make it a family affair. We had so much fun ordering drinks and watching the rowdy Spaniards at 6 in the evening...they were loud and drunk and having a great time! It was too funny. I think Sarah also enjoyed the fact that nobody asked how old she was whenever she got something to drink--lucky for her, she passes the "tall enough to see over the bar" age requirement.

Sunday morning we woke up very early for the 4 hour drive back to Madrid (allowing us at least an hour or two for "wandering" time...I found it necessary to remind my family in their stress that not all who wander are lost! even if we were...) The ride was "cozy" in our tiny little car with all five of us and suitcases, but we made the best of it with some catchphrase and me breaking out into random show tunes--I was going for the traditional road trip feel, even if it was under appreciated. 

Me and two of my favorite ladies in Retiro

When we finally made it back to Madrid, the weather was so nice, so I insisted that we go visit el Parque Retiro, one of the most famous sights to see in Madrid. We walked around the park, watched the street performers, got some lunch and yet another bottle of wine, and visited the glass palace and the peacock garden. When it started to get chilly we went back to the hotel for a siesta before mass at the Cathedral next to El Palacio Real.

After mass, we went out for dinner one last time, and finished up a movie on my tiny little computer screen in the hotel before bed. I woke up early on Monday morning to go say goodbye to the family, who had a flight out early that afternoon. I miss them already, and I hope they had as great of a time as I did! Though it is so different traveling with family compared to traveling with friends, I am so blessed that they were able to come and see me during this trip of a lifetime. I can't wait to see them all again in May!

Love, Rachel

My happy little visitors waving goodbye!

This is no time for jet-lag...

The ladies outside El Mercado de San Miguel

The whole gang's back together again!! On the Friday after my birthday my family came! After waiting at the airport for...a few hours or so for their delayed flight, the wary travelers finally made it to Madrid all excited and ready...for a nap. I quickly informed them, however, that there would be no time for napping--we had a whole city to see in only a few days! My parents, Sarah, Nana and I then made the long trek through the interchanges of the metro/subway system back to our stop: Opera. Needless to say that after lugging their luggage through the subways, they opted for the slightly more expensive but wildly more convenient airport shuttle service for their return trip.

Our tour guide..
and her furry coat

Once everyone got changed and settled in, and I delivered my carry-on suitcase full of the essentials like gum, cookies, peanut butter, and almonds, we set out for a walk around my neighborhood. The walk quickly turned into stopping for a drink and some tapas (as most walks do around here) at el mercado de san miguel. It was so nice to be reunited with everyone once again! We grabbed some dinner late (when in Spain...) and I tucked all my sleepy little world travelers into bed.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early for a trip to Avila and Segovia. Our tour guide wore this big fuzzy fur coat that, while I had first made fun of it, it was clear to see that this lady knew what she was doing--it was FREEZING. For those of you who haven't been paying attention to the news...most of Europe has been dealing with unseasonably cold temperatures which has caused excessive snow and freezing weather in many uncharacteristic places at this time of year--namely Spain.

This one's for my mom:
she loved the view from the Plaza Mayor in Avila

Despite the cold, Avila was beautiful, as was Segovia. This was my second trip to Segovia, but the weather was much better than the first time. The fog had cleared so we could actually see the breathtaking vistas from the fortress that we could only imagine before. I loved it!

Entrance to the old town of Avila

After our day trip to Avila and Segovia, we got back to Madrid and decided that it was time for a Spanish tradition: a drinks and tapas bar crawl! What fun, let me tell you. I took them to all the hot spots I knew of (various bars/restaurants where you can get a beer for a euro...they may not have been clean, but at least I was saving them money) and we had a great time. In one of the bars, after Mom and Nana had definitely entered their happy place, they insisted that the beautifully handsome spanish waiter take a picture with Sarah (...ironic how that one didn't make it on facebook). We then cleaned up shop with a few pitchers, or jarras, of wine and sangria..and then took about 6 pitchers home with us too! Every college student needs an authentic spanish pitcher from Madrid for their apartment..

Momma and me at El Alcazar, Segovia!

Just two gals having a ball at happy hour

Saturday was a very long day, so we all got some sleep to get ready for an early start on Sunday morning for the world-famous outdoor market. El Rastro happens in Madrid every Sunday and is a market close to the Plaza Mayor full of street vendors selling things from sunglasses to t-shirts to purses to scarves to army gas masks to extension cords--they have just about anything you could imagine! El rastro is famous not only for it's bargaining and variety of products, but also for its pick pocketers. I'm sure you can ask my Dad, but let's just say that people were getting fresh with his back pocket if you catch my drift...luckily the "all-knowing" Rick Steves guide to Madrid (the book--rather, bible in the eyes of my family--that was always in hand giving us advice about just about everything we needed to know for the entire country of Spain) had forewarned him about this, so we were sure to keep our money in a more secure place; the Campbell's are obviously much smarter than your average tourists.

El rastro

 After El Rastro we took the metro (without the luggage this time) to El Reina Sofia, the contemporary art museum. After just a little bit of culture, we headed back to Opera and had some lunch and went for a siesta. Sunday evening we tried to make it to mass at the Cathedral...but apparently they had changed mass times without updating their website, so we only caught from the "holy, holy, holy" on...some could say that the amount of churches and cathedrals we'd visited the past few days would make up for that, but thanks to Mr. Bill and his nifty iphone we went back to the hotel for our own mini liturgy of the word..complete with a sung responsorial psalm (nice pipes, faja). Unlike the rest of my vacationing family, I had school the next day, so I headed back to Mar's (as in the host mom, not the planet) to work on some homework that I had been shamelessly neglecting all weekend.

Monday morning I met my family for a trip to the palacio real, the royal palace right next to my apartment. I had not yet visited the inside of the palace (it costs money), so I was very excited to go while my family was here! The palace was absolutely beautiful on the inside..too bad we couldn't take pictures. I guess you'll just have to come visit me if you want to see it! (if you do visit, please bring snacks).

The rest of the day I went to class and then we went to dinner that night at a local Argentinian steak house (before you judge, this place was GOOD) for the last meal before the rest of the clan hopped in the rental car off to France. Only a few days stand in my way between a quick flight to San Sebastian to meet them in the Basque country!

Until then,
Rachel

A view of the Cathedral from the courtyard of El Palacio Real!

¡feliz cumpleaños a mi!

Well...I made it to 20. I know you were all on the edge of your seats waiting for a birthday post to ensure that I did, in fact, make it out of those "angry teenager" years according to my parents...but in true procrastinator fashion, I have let my blogs slip. For that, I send you all my sincerest apologies from Europe. Shockingly I've actually been pretty busy with school recently...who knew that study abroad actually meant studying.

Since you last heard from me I had just returned from my trip to Interlaken, Switzerland, which is still one of the major highlights of my time here so far. I can't believe more than a month has already gone by--there's so much I want to do and see still, and I can't wait for the next few months! I just don't want them to fly by too fast...but I'm afraid that's inevitable, time flies when you're having fun. Now that I think about it, that's kind of how it feels to be 20 now. It's weird to say "I'm in my 20's" because I still feel like a senior in high school sometimes...but I'm supposed to be mature. What's that all about?!

My birthday was a very nice day in Madrid, I started with a great run through my favorite park as I do every day I can while I'm not traveling--I promise, getting my daily run in is in the best interest for everyone I come in contact with, I'm much more pleasant that way. Then, I met up with my friends for some lunch at the infamous Golden Cock...a few pitchers of Sangria later, I had to mosey my way over to class--yuck. However, it's refreshing how a nice early afternoon buzz can make you much more willing to participate in class!

After my classes my roommates and I headed home and then popped over next door to a tapas bar called Cien Mondatitos. Every Wednesday they have 1 euro pints of cerveza...no complaints from this girl!

We kept the birthday fun rolling that night, even despite the rain, to club orange for a europeanvibe party. Since it was my birthday, I got a free bottle of champagne and a couple round of shots for my friends and me. I even wore a dress (yes, shocking, I know) after all my friends reminded me that as the birthday girl I should try to dress up.

Unfortunately, I had to take my carriage home before it turned into a pumpkin and get some rest before class Thursday morning. I had a great birthday and am thankful for all the messages and cards I received both from Madrid and from home!


I love you all!