Barcelona baby

Hola chicos y chicas,

First off, I'd just like to mention that spanish is not the primary language of Barcelona, which is incredibly annoying. The primary language is Catalan, and has only been so for the past 10 to 15 years. The reason why this is, is that the province that Barcelona is in wants to be independent from Spain. Therefore, they force this language upon the region, although it sounds nothing like spanish: actually, it's more of a combination of German and French than anything else. Not knowing this, me and my friends were very confused when we couldn't understand many of the signs in the airport, although most of us could speak spanish. Oh well.

Once we got off the plane, it took us some time to find where we were sleeping. We were staying with my family's very good friends who live in the city, but the streets in Barcelona are confusing to the max, and we didn't get there till 1AMish. This family, the Oriol's, were so nice. Matt and I had no complaints whatsoever.

For our first day in Barcelona, we headed out to La Sagrada Familia. It was loopy. It's design was the type that your supposed say to "Yeah Gaudi, that's a great idea you got there. But..." Instead, they actually built it. In all seriousness though, it is pretty cool. The statues in the front of the church are definitely unique. Looking at churches like La Sagrada Familia though, I can't help but thinking that the art of sculpture has gone backwards since the time of the greats.

Our first night in Barcelona, we went out to a party outside of the city. On our way there, we actually were part of a car accident on the highway. The driver was looking for something in the car, and swerved into the traffic coming the other way. Our car just missed another car, and both lost their mirrors. I was pretty scared.

The party was alot of fun though. We made many friends and ended up hanging out with a girl we met in the city the next day. She walked us around, and showed us much of the city that Matt and I had missed the previous day. That night, the Oriol's took me and Matt out to dinner. What he had was called: "Tapas," which where you order many different dishes of food, and share them all. It was absolutely delicious.

Our last day, the Oriol's went with me and Matt on a tour of the Barcelona FC stadium. For me, it was the coolest part of Barcelona. I definitely want to go back to a game one day. We toured the locker rooms, the press conference room, etc. They even had the actual World Cup Trophy there! It was the coolest thing. I probably took more pictures of the stadium than the rest of Barcelona to be honest.

Jacimo.

Pictures: aqui.

Italy Class Trip - Florence, Venice, and Assisi

Hey guys,

This past weekend my entire class went on a trip to Florence, Venice and Assisi. All three of those cities probably deserve a blogpost of their own, but for brevity's sake, I'll try to cram them into this one.

Florence was one of the most, if not the most, beautiful cities in Italy that I've been to. The city was filled with magnificent statues and massive palaces, left behind from the ages. As we walked around the city, we learned about the interesting rivalry between the Medici and Strozzi families that over time, made the city one of the world's elite. The Medici would built a palace on one side of the city, and on the other side the Strozzi would try to build a bigger one. As the battle for control over Florence escalated, the city grew and became more prosperous as a result.

The river going through Florence was also pretty cool. Apparently at one point, violence between the two rivaling families of Florence was so great that the Medici family constructed their own private bridge over the river, in order to avoid street fights. Pretty intense stuff.

In Florence, at La Accademica, they had the David by Michaelangelo. I honestly spent 45 minutes to an hour looking at it ... it is easily the most perfect statue I have ever seen. Me and my good friend, John Bascom, were saying that we thought the statue was about to jump off the display stand it was on. (It didn't.)

Venice was incredible. From taking the watertaxi out to the island, to walking around, the entire time we spent there was an experience of a lifetime. I felt it was our class, and then just old, retired couples there. Stumbling across the random waterways filled with gondolas, hidden piazza's with beautiful violinists, and delicious gelato shops, Venice was a real treat.

The famous Piazza San Marco was probably the coolest part of Venice. We didn't get to see it flood, but it was cool nontheless. Saint Mark's is right there in the piazza, as is the Palazzo Ducale, the palace of the royalty of Venice. Inside there was the world's biggest painting, as well as rooms filled with gold, famous paintings, and weaponry. Venice's history is very interesting .. they stole the bones of St. Mark from Alexandria in order to gain legitimacy in Italy as a major power, as every other big city had a patron saint.

And finally, Assisi. Assisi was so beautiful and quiet. We saw the tomb of St. Francis, some of his belongings, where he died, the rose bush he jumped into (cool story behind that one), and the chapel he built with his own hands. Loads of really sweet stuff. We also hiked up to where he lived for awhile (a hermitage up in the mountains). I wish we could have stayed longer.

I don't know if you guys can tell, but I'm defintely running out of gas on this blog thing.

Jacimo.

Pictures: here.

The Vatican Museum and Monte Casino

Howdy,

A little while after getting back from 10 Day, our class was taken on a class trip to the Vatican Museum, which is full of some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures: Raphael's School of Athens, The Discourse, and Transfiguration, Lacoon, the Sistene Chapel, and many other famous works. It was incredible seeing them in person.

The Sistene Chapel is was probably my favorite thing in the museums, although the School of Athens was equally cool. There's so much to see in the museum that it's completely overwhelming, however. I was lucky enough to be walking around with one of my friends who had been there a couple times in his life, so he knew his way around pretty well.

A week or so afterwards, I decided to go to Monte Casino over the last free weekend I had. It turned out to be an awesome decision. Monte Casino is so incredibly peaceful; I would probably be a saint too if I lived up there.

Jacimo

Pictures: here.

10 Day - Munich

Hey Guys,

Munich is in southern Germany, near Mad King Ludwig's famous castles in the Swiss Alps. I didn't get to the castles, but did do an awesome self-guided walking tour of the city. Munich is a very up-scale, rich city, and there's some pretty awesome stuff to see.

In Marienplatz, the main square of Munich, stands the Old Town Hall and the New Town Hall. Which is actually very confusing, as the New Town Hall looks ancient and the Old Town Hall looks like it could have been built yesterday. Right around the corner are the famous Beer gardens, where people can be found hanging out and drinking beer pretty much whenever.

There are some pretty cool churches in Munich, too. St. Peter's is right by Marienplatz, as well as the massive Frauenkirche cathedral, a spectacular building that is one of the best known symbols of the city. Inside, it's one of the most majestic, massive structures I've ever been inside. But perhaps my favorite church lies about a 10 minute walk from Marienplatz, called the Asamkirche. It was built by 2 brothers to be their own, private chapel but was found out one day and opened to the public. See the pictures.

Bringing us to the beer halls: Munich is home to some of the world-famous beer halls, most notably Hofbrauhaus, where my friends and I spent some time our last night over 10 day. We had an awesome time, and most of my class was there, as it is a UD tradition to meet up at the Hofbrauhaus the last day of 10 day. All in all, Munich might have be my favorite city in Europe.

Jacimo.

Pictures: here.

10 Day - Prague

Ladies and Gents,

My first thought on Prague (no lie): "Why does this city even exist?" I had learned nothing about it during any of my studies of western civilization, and hardly knew it existed before I traveled there. Turns out, Prague is loaded with history and is dirt cheap, and I'm very glad we went.

One of the interesting things about Prague is that it relies on its own currency: the crown. 1 USD = around 18 crowns, and it was extremely hard to keep track of how much things were worth. It was probably the strangest thing that has happened to me so far in Europe when I took out 1000 crowns from the ATM at the train station in Prague, and it gave me ... 1 bill back. A 1000 crown bill. Chris took out 2000 crown, and got back ... a 2000 crown bill. Most places didn't have enough money in their cashiers to give change back for it, so it was annoying. Not to mention very tempting, as most shoe places sold Nikes for around 2000 crowns. I was drooling.

On a serious note, as Prague was one of the only major cities not bombed during WWII, most of the city survives in its original state. There's an incredible castle that Chris and I walked to, as well as an incredible bridge spanning across the massive Vltava river that Prague is built on. I also went to the Rudolfinum, home of one of the oldest concert halls in all of Europe. Also, the tower of the main square in the old center of the city has one of the most amazing clocks on it I have ever seen. Back when it was first made, it was such a world wonder that the people of Prague blinded the man who made it, to ensure they were the only city to get one. Be sure to see the pictures on that one. Apparently later on in his life, he went into the machinery of the clock and pulled out a vital piece. The clock was so intricate that it took the master engineers of the time 100 years to fix it.

Prague turned out to be one of my favorite places during 10 day. The Czech Republic is a beautiful place, and I'm glad I went.

Jacimo.

P.S. Pictures hurr.

10 Day - Berlin

Hey guys,

Berlin is a very modern city. As soon as the train eased to a stop, I thought to myself that Berlin could be any other American city. Walking the streets, I could have been in Washington D.C., New York City, or even Providence. Obviously, this was due to WWII: architecturally Berlin was devastated from top to bottom, making modern Berlin very modern indeed.

However, the highlight of our stay in Northern Germany was to be found at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, about an hour long train ride outside the city. Concentration camps are the kind of thing that you can't just slap words onto. I could honestly sit here into the wee hours of the morning typing away and would not come close to conveying the emotional effect that it had on me, and everyone else I was traveling with. See the pictures for more on that front.

Coming back from the camp, we toured as much of Berlin as we could with the rest of the day. We walked through the triumphant arch, the "Brandenburg Gate" as well as saw the "Reichstag Building," or the main building of the Nazi Regime. We also went out of our way to see the Berlin Wall, which was really cool. Today, Berlin allows a portion of the wall to stand, and on it painters to express the great joy of the world towards the wall's falling. Got some awesome pictures of that.

And as always, German beers are very good. Someday I want to go back and try "Bock" beer; me and Chris met a man in a bar who gushed on and on about it, and was not pleased when he found out that the bar didn't have it. That same guy, Christian, wanted Chris and I to know very badly that Germany is nothing like what it was back during the time of WWII, and that it was very hurtful for Germans when Americans come into the country expecting everyone to be marching around town in formation with Hitler mustaches.

In short, Germany was definitely one of my favorite countries over 10 day. I think I learned alot from Christian too: not that I thought all those things about Germany, but hearing from another college student about how Germany feels about WWII made it so much more real to me.

Jacimo

Pictures here.

10 Day - Amsterdam

Amsterdam, summed up in 10 pointers:

1. French Fries (some of the best in the world).

2. Indian street merchants (same as everywhere).

3. Red Light District.

4. Rembrandt's house.

5. Mad cool waterways.

6. Anne Frank's house.

7. The "I amsterdam" logo.

8. The Heineken Factory.

9. Legalized marijuana everywhere.

10. Van Gogh Museum.

Jacimo.

P.S. Pictures here.

Teaser for Amsterdam .. do they even need a lock on the door with that kind of security?

... Or even a door?

10 Day - Brussels

Hey guys,

On to Brussels. Before I get going, I just want to let you guys know that I'm cracking up as I write this, as I think it's pretty funny that I'm drinking wine and blogging instead of hanging out with the crew tonight. Not that I don't enjoy updating my blog and all, but this is not something I could picture myself doing before tonight. (No worries Dad and Mom, just a few glasses. )

From Paris, we took a 2 hour train to Brussels. We got there around 9PM, and I decided to stay with my priest friend in Leuven, Fr. Mahar, about a 45 minute train ride outside of Brussels, while my friends decided to stay in the city. Due to a mix-up at the train station, I got to the American College, were I was to be staying, around 12:30PM. Even so, Fr. Mahar took me out to dinner and we had a great time. Belgium apparently is world-famous when it comes to their beer, and I immediately fell in love with the one that Fr. Mahar ordered for me, the La Trappe Quadrupel. (No worries Dad and Mom, just a few glasses.)

The next day, I headed into the city. Brussels is also well known for it's waffles and chocolate, and both are delicious. "The Waffle Factory" probably has the best value for their waffle around town. We started off the day going to a place that was well known to be the best waffle place around for breakfast, and started walking about the city. Brussels has some amazing architecture, especially in the main square of the city. Check out the pictures.

One of the funniest things I stumbled across during my 10 day was that the national symbol of Brussels, similar to the US's bald eagle, is a peeing boy. What possessed the leader of Belgium to do something like that eludes me, but I think it's pretty funny nonetheless. Another ridiculous aspect of Brussels is a urinal built against a church, so you can urinate against one legally ... obviously a popular tourist attraction.

That night, we ended up in the Delirium, a world famous bar that boasts the "world's best beer," the Delirium Tremens, as well as more than 30 beers on tap, making it one of the largest bars in the world. It was pretty cool. Just don't try to steal one of the Delirium Tremens special cup, as they taser people outside for it. Sometimes I feel like I could summarize Brussels in 3 words: beer, waffles, and chocolate. But mostly beer. (No worries Dad and Mom, just a few glasses.)

The best,

Jacimo

PS. PICTURES: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=564095&id=824235363&l=a30861dade

10 Day - Paris

Hey Guys,

Sorry about the wait. Truth be told, there's so much to tell I don't think I could do justice to my trip even in one massive blog post. So I've decided to break it down to a blogpost for each city; this way I can get it done in more manageable slices, and it'll keep you guys on your toes.

Well, well, well. I'll start by saying Paris is ridiculously expensive. While this wasn't wholly Paris's fault, as admission to the Louvre and Eiffel Tower did take it's toll, food is very pricey, as are hostels. No complaints on this end as to the quality of either, but the price-tags did have me thinking about the joining the strikes there for a bit.

From the top, we arrived in Paris with a bang. Literally. The landing of our flight there was the worst one I've ever been a part of. I was fast asleep right before the landing, and as I woke up to it, it felt like bouncing up and down on a trampoline. I guess that's to be expected when you fly with RyanAir, the cheapest flying service of Europe.

Our first day, we started by taking the metro to the Louvre. The metro was the nicest I've seen in all of Europe, and according to my man Rick Steves, most certainly is. We walked in the back entrance to the Louvre, and accordingly, were not impressed in the slightest. After wandering around in the back courtyard for 10 minutes or so, we finally walked out into the middle of things. The front of the Louvre is stunning, as is the famous glass pyramid. We toured the Louvre for 3 hours or so, and saw the Mona Lisa on the way. My friends were letdown by it's small size (it's probably about 3 feet by 2-ishy) but I enjoyed it nontheless. The museum was filled with thousands of stunning works of art, and was a real pleasure to see.

From there, we walked across the city to Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a spectacular church from head to toe. The inside, however, is dark and gloomy. As I walked around, I slowly started to appreciate the church's design: the material world around us, at eye level, is not fulfilling, while raising one's eyes to God, and the heights of the interior of the church, is much more satisfying. The stain glass windows are dazzling.

Grabbing some ham crepes on the way out, we took a metro to the Eiffel Tower. It's alot bigger in real life than you think. As we approached the city via bus from the airport, my initial viewing of the tower from a distance had caused it to appear minuscule. By foot, however, the thing was a skyscaper. Standing directly underneath it was really cool: it spanned hundreds of feet over my head in every direction. We rode the elevator up to the 2nd floor, and then to the top. The first floor consists of a snazzy restaurant, about 300 euro per person too snazzy. The views from the top were stunning; we caught an awesome French sunset.

Our second day there, me and Nico journeyed out to the Palace at Versailles, as our friends weren't really feeling up to the challenge. It was a rainy, cloudy day, but it turned out to be an awesome decision. The palace was more ornate than any other building I've ever seen in my entire life. It was almost sickening how lavish the life of the French kings was; no, it was sickening. While the people starved, King Louis XIII and his successors built one of the most sumptuous buildings in the history of man, if not THE most. The Hall of Mirrors was unbelievable. Words cannot describe it. Even the gardens were eye candy to the max: they are so large, it would take an hour to walk their length at a good, steady pace.

On our way back, we went to Sainte Chapelle, the church where the crown of thorns lies. Unfortunately, after a 45 minute wait to the front of the line, we were told that the main part of the church was closed for renovation (a common theme throughout Europe, this renovation business) but we went to see the sacristy anyway. More beautiful stain glass windows, blah blah blah. I hate how traveling around Europe so much and seeing so many beautiful things has a habit of desensitizing you to them, but it's true.

Being at these sites which were the center of so many movies, books, and lives was powerful. I just wish it didn't cost so much.

Ciao,

Jacimo

P.S. I know I spell Jacimo wrong. Deal with it.

P.P.S. PICTURES: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=563418&id=824235363&l=0df87232a9